Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 06, 2022: SOAP #4751: Philippians 1-4

SCRIPTURE:  Philippians (NIV) 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

OBSERVATION:    How important unity is!  Paul pleads with these two ladies to agree in the Lord.  Unity is so important that the Apostle Paul “pleads” with them, in a public letter!  He begs them to settle their differences. 

They may not agree in other areas, but their agreement in the Lord should be so important that other disagreements seem so small that they are unworthy of their time.

APPLICATION: I like to sing, “Oh the blood of Jesus; it washes white as snow.”  I sing it with thanksgiving that the blood of Jesus washes me white as snow.  I need to start singing it with the realization that the blood also washes the one with whom I am disagreeing.  They too are washed white as snow!  

Jesus paid a great price for me; He paid the same price for them.  We are washed with the same blood; we are members of the same body.  We can agree “in the Lord.” 

PRAYER:   Lord, forgive me for my critical spirit.  Forgive me for holding a grudge against my brother.  I want your love to flow through me to everyone around me, including those with whom I disagree.  Help me to see them as you see them.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 05, 2022: SOAP #4750: Ephesians 5-6; Psalm 119:1-80

SCRIPTURE:  Ephesians (NIV) 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

OBSERVATION:  The above verse speaks to me in seven ways.  It tells me that:
First: …troubled days are ahead.
Second:  …God is aware of what is coming.
Third: …God wants me to be victorious.
Fourth: …God has provided specific things to help me overcome evil. 
Fifth: …it is my responsibility to put on the armor.
Sixth: …I need to be fully dressed, not just with the comfortable items.
Seventh: …I must prepare myself now so that when evil comes, I will stand. 

APPLICATION: Preparation is such an important part of life.  It is a natural part of every day.  A parent prepares meals to be ready for their family.  A pastor prepares a message for the church.  A worker prepares the clothes they will wear to work early the next morning.  We all look ahead and make preparation for what we see coming. 

Troubled days are coming.  Temptations are coming.  I want to be victorious!  God wants me to be victorious!  God has done His part by preparing His armor.  I do my part putting it on! 

PRAYER:   Lord, you are not sending me into battle unprepared.  You have designed your armor for me to be victorious!  AND you have given your Holy Spirit to always be with me!  You have designed me for victorious living.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 04, 2022: SOAP #4749: Ephesians 1-4

SCRIPTURE:  Ephesians (NIV) 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

OBSERVATION:  What a God!  He has great love and is rich in mercy.  Two words that should make every sinner’s heart rejoice: “great” and “rich.”  God’s great love is more than sufficient to reach a sinful heart and His mercy is more than sufficient to cleanse every sin! 

APPLICATION: God’s love for me cannot be described as ordinary.  It is GREAT love! 

He is not about to run out of mercy.  He is not hesitant to give me more mercy in fear that there might not be enough for others!  I do not have to squeeze mercy from God; He is RICH in mercy toward me!

Why could not God just overlook the sins of His creation?  What would keep a loving God from giving mercy to everyone?  His nature.  His HOLY nature.  Sin cannot be swept under the rug.  It must be atoned for!   It cannot be overlooked and ignored.   That is why Jesus came.  That is why sinless Jesus died on the cross.  Sinless blood was shed to cover my sin. 

The perfectly holy God can be merciful because the full price for sin was paid at Calvary!  God’s great love motivates Him to be merciful, but it is the cross that enables the holy God to be merciful.  GREAT LOVE + THE CALVARY SACRIFICE = RICH IN MERCY!!!

PRAYER:   Lord, how great is your love for me and how rich is your mercy!  I am so blest!  How I am thankful for the cross!  Forgive my sins based on your sacrifice. I receive your forgiveness and acknowledge you as my Lord. Amen.

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 03, 2022: SOAP #4748: Romans 13-16

SCRIPTURE:  Romans (NIV) 14:7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

OBSERVATION:  Why Christ would want to be the Lord of the dead? Because the dead, those who have “gone before,” those who are not “with us” any longer, those who have “passed from this life,” their spirits are fully alive.  Only the physical body left behind is dead!  The best is yet to come!

We who are still living in the flesh have seen people die. We have seen their lifeless physical bodies placed in the grave. To us, they are dead. Yet they have the same Lord in death as they had in life. They have the same Lord as we, the living, have! Their spirit is even more alive now then it was when they were with us. They are absent from the body, but they are present with the Lord!  (2Corinthians 5:8)

The physical body was designed and created to carry the spirit/life of man.  It provides avenues of expression for the spirit of man.  When the spirit/life of man returns to God, the lifeless, spiritless body remains.  Others who are still in their flesh will take care of what remains behind.  But a resurrection day is coming when a transformed body will be united with the spirit!!! (1Corinthians 15:50-57) I can only imagine what we will be able to do then when we will be present with the Lord and with our bodies!!!

APPLICATION: Do I enjoy knowing the Lord Jesus Christ in life? I will enjoy it so much more after passing through the doorway of death. Do I enjoy fellowship with my Lord now? I will enjoy it so much more then. Can I see God’s hand at work around me now? I will see it so much clearer then.

He is my Lord now, but when those around me call me “dead” I will be more alive than I have ever been in life!  Do not let my dead body fool you!

PRAYER:   Lord, thank you that your promises extend through our physical death into eternity! You are my Lord now, and you will be my Lord then!  Amen

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 02, 2022: SOAP #4747: Romans 9-12

SCRIPTURE:  Romans (NIV) 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7-8   If it is serving … teaching … encouraging … contributing to the needs of others … leadership … showing mercy … .

OBSERVATION:  God’s grace has given each one a gift and made each one useful to the body. If our gift was the same as everyone else, there might not be opportunity to be used, but the scripture says we all have “different” gifts.  It is the difference that makes us valuable.

These truths also emphasize the importance of being a part of the body.  An arm has no value unless it is attached to the body.  Life is fed into the arm from its attachment to the body.  If it becomes severed from the body, it is useless and dies. 

It also needs to be used.  It must faithfully contribute to the body by doing its part. If it is not useful to the body, it shrivels and becomes weak. 

APPLICATION: If I administer my gift with diligence, I will be used. I may get tired of being used, but I must train myself to see that if I am being used, I must be useful.  Being useful is so much better than being useless!

PRAYER:   Jesus, use me; O Lord don’t refuse me. Surely there’s a works that I can do. And even though it’s humble, help my will to crumble. Though the cost be great, I’ll work for you.   Amen.

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 01, 2022: SOAP #4746: Romans 5-8

SCRIPTURE:  Romans (NIV) 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

OBSERVATION:  Here we read that our justification came by faith. This is not the promise of justification that we will receive at a later time, but what we have presently.  We have already received it! 

Along with being cleansed and made as “just as if” we had never sinned, comes peace.  Our sins destroyed any hope we might have had regarding peace with God, but through the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, we have peace.  All animosity between God and us has been resolved by a payment (the blood of Jesus) that more than covered the offence of our sin!  Again, this is not something that we will be given in the future, but something we have now in the present!  We have peace when Jesus Christ becomes “our Lord.” 

When He has the power of decision, the power of directing, we have peace.  He alone, through His Holy Spirit, can establish peace and maintain peace with God.  By His death He establishes our peace; and by His indwelling Spirit He maintains it!

APPLICATION: In regard to my past, Jesus established peace through His death on the cross.  In regard to my present, Jesus maintains peace through His indwelling Spirit. 

How I need to cultivate an on-going relationship with the Holy Spirit!  By listening to Him and doing as He directs I continue to enjoy peace with God. 

PRAYER:   Jesus, thank you for your death with which you paid for my sins.  Holy Spirit, thank you for living inside me and directing me in the way of peace with God.  Amen

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 30, 2022: SOAP #4745: Romans 1-4

SCRIPTURE:  Romans (NIV) 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

OBSERVATION:  Through the prophecies in the Old Testament, we are assured that Jesus, as a descendent of David, is the Son of man, fully human. He was carried in the womb of a human for nine months. He was born as an infant and grew to manhood.  He was hungry and became tired. 

It was the resurrection that “declared with power” that Jesus is the Son of God. His death proved His humanness. His resurrection proved His divinity. His death showed Him to be the Son of man. His resurrection showed Him to be the Son of God.

Actions speak louder than words.  There are no words of Jesus that are more powerful than His resurrection.  No one was at the garden grave calling Jesus to come out of the tomb.  No one was speaking to His dead body to come back to life.  The only ones at the tomb were ones making sure no one would steal His dead body.  By His power as God the Son, He rose from the grave!  He had laid down His life and He picked it up again.  What a powerful declaration!

APPLICATION: Jesus, the Son of God, has already been and returned from where I am headed, death and the grave!  He is with me now and from this moment on! The death-defeater in me is more than able to overcome any problem in this life! 

PRAYER:   Jesus, how powerfully you have spoken. The truth of who you are fills my heart and life. Your presence in my life assures me that I have nothing to fear! Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 29, 2022: SOAP #4744: 1Thes 4-5; 2Thes 1-3

SCRIPTURE:  1Thessalonians (NIV) 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

OBSERVATION:  Paul makes such a clear distinction between the believers to whom he is writing and the unbelievers still living in the world’s system.  There is a difference in who we are.  There is a difference in Whose we are!  There is a difference in our understanding.  We may be in the same circumstances, but we see them so differently. 

SO, there should be a difference in how we live.  OTHERS are asleep, but let US be awake.  Those living in the system of the world are clueless and unaware of what is about to happen.  We are alert, or mentally in tune with our circumstances.  We live with different priorities. 

APPLICATION: People listen to what I say and watch how I live.  They should be able to see a difference.  This world is not my home.  I believe Jesus is soon to return!  So, then I am living to please him, trusting him for direction and provision.

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for bringing me out of the kingdom of darkness into your Kingdom of light.  May I live my life in the light as you are in the light!  Amen

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 28, 2022: SOAP #4743: Matthew 28; 1Thes 1-3

SCRIPTURE:  1Thessalonians (NIV) 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

OBSERVATION:  It is good to note Paul’s prayers for the Thessalonians in this letter.  To this point his prayers have mostly been prayers of thanksgiving for their acceptance of God’s word and what God has done for them.  In the verses above, Paul prays for God to make a way for him to visit these dear friends.  He prays for their love for one another to increase.  

Then in verse 13, he prays with heaven in view.  What happens here on earth, in this life, is preparation for the time they will stand in the presence of God.  They cannot depend on their own works to make them “blameless and holy.”  Only the work of Jesus on the cross can cover their sins and make them holy and just as if they had never sinned!  May they stand in the presence of God with their sins forgiven to receive rewards for faithful service. 

APPLICATION:  When I pray for my family and friends, I too need to pray with heaven in view.  Paul did not pray for earthly blessings, like good jobs, abundance of finances, cars, houses, etc.  It is not wrong to pray for such things, but the focus of my prayers, like Paul, should be on eternal things. 

PRAYER:   Heavenly Father, may my son rejoice in your presence on that day.  And may his presence before you bring you great rejoicing too.  Amen

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 27, 2022: SOAP #4742: Psalm 125; Matthew 26-27

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 26:30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

OBSERVATION:  Jesus had made it clear that hard days were ahead.  He would be tried and condemned to death.  He would be crucified.  His followers would be scattered.  The disciples would be in hiding.  BUT after it was over…  After Jesus had risen from the dead…  Jesus had plans for the future!  They were to meet Him in Galilee!

In Mark 16:7, the angel at the empty tomb told the ladies coming to anoint the body, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

APPLICATION: When I see hard times ahead, I need to recall what God has spoken to me.  Did His words to me include any future plans?  Has he given me something to do that I will need to do at a later date?  He must be expecting me to make it through the trial. 

God would not have given me an assignment that He will not help me fulfill.  Remembering God’s promises and remembering His directions can be great faith builders for holding steady in present and future trials. 

The trio known as “Sisters” sing: 
   I’m gonna make it, He’s already said that I would
   I’ll keep on trusting that He’s working everything for my good
   He walks beside me and heaven is in my view,
   I’m gonna make it through.

PRAYER:  Lord, I know I can trust you for the future.  I know I can trust your plans.  I know that you will work through everything for my good and your glory!Amen

Pastor Leon
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